Facial expression recognition system based on rigid and non-rigid motion separation and 3D pose estimation

This study presents a facial expression recognition system which separates the non-rigid facial expression from the rigid head rotation and estimates the 3D rigid head rotation angle in real time. The extracted trajectories of the feature points contain both rigid head motion components and non-rigid facial expression motion components. A 3D virtual face model is used to obtain accurate estimation of the head rotation angle such that the non-rigid motion components can be precisely separated to enhance the facial expression recognition performance. The separation performance of the proposed system is further improved through the use of a restoration mechanism designed to recover feature points lost during large pan rotations. Having separated the rigid and non-rigid motions, hidden Markov models (HMMs) are employed to recognize a prescribed set of facial expressions defined in terms of facial action coding system (FACS) action units (AUs).     

Development of a FACS-verified set of basic and self-conscious emotion expressions.

In 2 studies, the authors developed and validated of a new set of standardized emotion expressions, which they referred to as the University of California, Davis, Set of Emotion Expressions (UCDSEE). The precise components of each expression were verified using the Facial Action Coding System (FACS). The UCDSEE is the first FACS-verified set to include the three “self-conscious” emotions known to have recognizable expressions (embarrassment, pride, and shame), as well as the 6 previously established “basic” emotions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise), all posed by the same 4 expressers (African and White males and females). This new set has numerous potential applications in future research on emotion and related topics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modeling and animation of facial expressions based on B-Splines

This paper describes a technique for the automatic adaptation of a canonical facial model to data obtained by a 3D laser scanner. The facial model is a B-spline surface with 13×16 control points. We introduce a technique by which this canonical model is fit to the scanned data and that takes into consideration the requirements for the animation of facial expressions. The animation of facial expressions is based on the facial action coding system (FACS). Using B-splines in combination with FACS, we automatically create the impression of a moving skin. To increase the realism of the animation we map textural information onto the B-spline surface.     

Visualizing "green oil" in live algal cells

We report here that BODIPY 505/515, a green lipophilic fluorescent dye, serves as an excellent vital stain for the oil-containing lipid bodies of live algal cells. BODIPY 505/515 vital staining can be used in combination with fluorescent activated cell sorting to detect and isolate algal cells possessing high lipid content.     

A High-Throughput Screening System Based on Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting for the Directed Evolution of Chitinase A

Chitinases catalyze the degradation of chitin, a polymer of N-acetylglucosamine found in crustacean shells, insect cuticles, and fungal cell walls. There is great interest in the development of improved chitinases to address the environmental burden of chitin waste from the food processing industry as well as the potential medical, agricultural, and industrial uses of partially deacetylated chitin (chitosan) and its products (chito-oligosaccharides). The depolymerization of chitin can be achieved using chemical and physical treatments, but an enzymatic process would be more environmentally friendly and more sustainable. However, chitinases are slow-acting enzymes, limiting their biotechnological exploitation, although this can be overcome by molecular evolution approaches to enhance the features required for specific applications. The two main goals of this study were the development of a high-throughput screening system for chitinase activity (which could be extrapolated to other hydrolytic enzymes), and the deployment of this new method to select improved chitinase variants. We therefore cloned and expressed the Bacillus licheniformis DSM8785 chitinase A (chiA) gene in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) cells and generated a mutant library by error-prone PCR. We then developed a screening method based on fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) using the model substrate 4-methylumbelliferyl β-d-N,N′,N″-triacetyl chitotrioside to identify improved enzymes. We prevented cross-talk between emulsion compartments caused by the hydrophobicity of 4-methylumbelliferone, the fluorescent product of the enzymatic reaction, by incorporating cyclodextrins into the aqueous phases. We also addressed the toxicity of long-term chiA expression in E. coli by limiting the reaction time. We identified 12 mutants containing 2–8 mutations per gene resulting in up to twofold higher activity than wild-type ChiA.     

Differential expression of CD95, Bcl-2, and Bax in rat gastric chief and parietal cells

Apoptotic cell death is common in the inflamed gastric mucosa, but its role in the regulation of cell homeostasis in normal gastric mucosa is unknown. We investigated the expression of CD95, Bcl-2, and Bax and their roles in the regulation of apoptosis in normal rat gastric mucosa and in cultures of highly enriched rat chief and parietal cells by immunostaining, Western blotting, and FACS. In intact tissue CD95, Bcl-2, and Bax were localized predominantly in the glandular base region in chief cells. In freshly isolated cells, expression of CD95, Bcl-2, and Bax was much more pronounced in chief cells than in parietal cells. A lower intracellular Bcl-2/Bax ratio suggesting a higher susceptibility to apoptosis was noticed in chief rather than in parietal cells. In extended cultures of parietal and chief cells, Bax expression was upregulated and Bcl-2 expression was downregulated. These regulatory changes, presumably caused by in vitro effects, were not associated with an increase in spontaneous apoptosis. Treatment of chief and parietal cells with Fas-ligand induced apoptosis of all CD95 expressing cells. Expression of CD95, Bcl-2, and Bax predominantly in chief cells suggests that in this cell type regulation of apoptosis may differ from that in parietal cells. Binding of FasL with functionally active CD95 receptors on chief and parietal cells may be relevant for induction of apoptosis in inflamed gastric mucosa.     

人脸微表情识别综述

人脸表情是人际交往的重要渠道,识别人脸表情可促进对人心理状态和情感的理解.不同于常规的人脸表情,微表情是一种特殊的面部微小动作,可以作为判断人主观情绪的重要依据,在公共安防和心理治疗领域有广泛的应用价值.由于微表情具有动作幅度小、持续时间短的特点,对微表情的人工识别需要专业的培训,且识别正确率较低.近年来不少研究人员开始利用计算机视觉技术自动识别微表情,极大地提高了微表情的应用可行性.本文综述人脸微表情识别的定义和研究现状,总结微表情识别中的一些关键技术,探讨潜在的问题和可能的研究方向.     

Facial expression categorization by chimpanzees using standardized stimuli.

The ability to recognize and accurately interpret facial expressions are critical social cognition skills in primates, yet very few studies have examined how primates discriminate these social signals and which features are the most salient. Four experiments examined chimpanzee facial expression processing using a set of standardized, prototypical stimuli created using the new ChimpFACS coding system. First, chimpanzees were found to accurately discriminate between these expressions using a computerized matching-to-sample task, and recognition was impaired for all but one expression category when they were inverted. Third, a multidimensional scaling analysis examined the perceived dissimilarity among these facial expressions revealing 2 main dimensions, the degree of mouth closure and extent of lip-puckering and retraction. Finally, subjects were asked to match each facial expression category using only individual component features. For each expression category, at least 1 component movement was more salient or representative of that expression than the others. However, these were not necessarily the only movements implicated in subject's overall pattern of errors. Therefore, similar to humans, both configuration and component movements are important during chimpanzee facial expression processing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Optimizing the Expression of Human Dopamine Receptors in Escherichia coli

The human dopamine receptors D_2S and D₃ belong to the group of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and are important drug targets. Structural analyses and development of new receptor subtype specific drugs have been impeded by low expression yields or receptor instability. Fusing the T4 lysozyme into the intracellular loop 3 improves crystallization but complicates conformational studies. To circumvent these problems, we expressed the human D_2S and D₃ receptors in Escherichia coli using different N- and C-terminal fusion proteins and thermostabilizing mutations. We optimized expression times and used radioligand binding assays with whole cells and membrane homogenates to evaluate K_D-values and the number of receptors in the cell membrane. We show that the presence but not the type of a C-terminal fusion protein is important. Bacteria expressing receptors capable of ligand binding can be selected using FACS analysis and a fluorescently labeled ligand. Improved receptor variants can thus be generated using error-prone PCR. Subsequent analysis of clones showed the distribution of mutations over the whole gene. Repeated cycles of PCR and FACS can be applied for selecting highly expressing receptor variants with high affinity ligand binding, which in the future can be used for analytical studies.